My predictions were divided in two, one of which I posted and one which I didn't. It was very simple, in my head there were two types of nominees: who I wanted to win and who was going to win. To some of us there were some obvious winners, and most of them were, and yet there were some that surprised us and ended up being a deal breaker if betting with friends.

My first one in the category of Best Actor in a Supporting role. Now, naturally, I was rooting for Christoph Waltz, his performance in Django was phenomenal. He brings to the film his usual ironic humor that doesn't prove to be a stand up comedy type but can bring people to laughter in a natural way. Still, Tommy Lee Jones seemed like a sure pick for that category. I liked how he won his second Oscar on a Tarantino movie, which are normally overlooked by the Academy. It was a job well done that deserved to be recognized and so it was. Job well done Waltz, job well done. The category that had haunted me the most since the nominations were announced had to be that of Best Actress in a Leading Role. Since that moment it was a race between Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain, and I was immediately obligated to forget who the other nominees were (sorry guys). My first pick was Jessica Chastain, only taking into account how much I loved her in The Help and knowing she would do an amazing job in Zero Dark Thirty. Still, I had to see both actresses in action to evaluate my choices. Jennifer Lawrence's performance in Silver Linings Playbook was marvelous, and the whole reason I went to see that movie (at first, I liked it a lot in a general standard). She portrays a funny role that proves to be a hard one to take on and yet manages to portray a complex and light character at the same time. However, Jessica Chastain's performance was just breathtaking. I went into the movie expecting to see her take on a challenging role and she did so, and I was not disappointed. It was just amazing. After watching those films there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted Jessica Chastain to win and she deserved to win. Am I sad that she didn't take home the Oscar? Maybe. Jennifer Lawrence's performance was definitely Oscar worthy, but Jessica Chastain's performance deserved it even more. In the end it wasn't up to me to pick the winner, so I applaud Jennifer Lawrence for this accomplishment, and hope she continues to make good movies such as Silver Linings Playbook. The rest of the acting categories were too obvious to be true. Anyone could have guessed (not even that, they could have known) That Anne Hathaway was going to get the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. No argument there, there was no better actress to give it to. I am a huge fan of musicals and apart from having to play the role of a woman with a depressive life story, she had to sing live to it. Bravo to her, because she earned it. Daniel Day Lewis also had the award in the bag, it is not the first time this actor gets awarded by the Academy, and this time he didn't give them a reason not to give him the award. It is sad for Hugh Jackman, because his performance was brilliant. Had he been nominated any other year he would have won, but having been nominated against Daniel Day Lewis, it was impossible. I am glad Argo won Best Picture. It was something everybody wanted, but nobody expected. If I had to give the award to anyone, it would have been Zero Dark Thirty. But once again, since I don't decide who gets it, it doesn't really matter. The good thing is that if I had to pick a second movie to take the Oscar, it would have been Argo. It was sad that the Academy didn't nominate Ben Affleck for Best Director, (and Kathryn Bigelow, seriously!) but it was a good thing that the Academy decided to recognize that this was a great movie and that it was deserving of the Best Picture award. My favorite of all the nominated was without any doubt, Les Miserables. But looking at things objectively, it didn't deserve the award. However, they didn't leave me with empty hands, their performance at the Oscars was definitely a treat that I surely over-enjoyed.

So these were my overall thoughts on the 85th Academy Awards, to me it is definitely a yearly holiday and I can hardly wait for it to be 2014 and watch them. It's a long time but hopefully in the mean time I can get entertained with some good movies.